Department for Transport

Ports: EU Action

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made of the potential effect on (a) employment, (b) maritime freight volumes and (c) passenger numbers at UK ports on the (i) North Sea, (ii) Channel and (iii) Irish Sea from the European Commission's Draft Regulation on market access to port services and the financial transparency of ports.

Mr John Hayes: It is not possible to frame meaningful estimates of the regulatory impact of the proposed Regulation in these terms. In the short term, the main impact would be on administrative compliance costs of the ports within scope of the Regulation, rather than on trade volumes. However, the industry has expressed concern that the Regulation, were it to be implemented along the lines of the May 2013 Proposal, would be likely to have a serious adverse impact on port investors’ confidence, which ultimately could depress trade and employment in the sector. The Council General Approach text, which was agreed by Transport Council on 8 October, would result in a substantially lesser regulatory impact. The Commission published an Impact Assessment accompanying its Proposal in May 2013 [reference SWD (2013)181 final]. This postulated induced cost savings and increases in short-sea shipping and throughput at European ports which I regard as wholly unrealistic, especially in the UK context.

Rescue Services

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions each maritime rescue co-ordination centre (MRCC) has called on other MRCCs to provide mutual support under established pairing arrangements in each of the last 12 months.

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many and what proportion of occasions each maritime rescue co-ordination centre (MRCC) has been unable to help another MRCC requesting mutual support in the last 12 months.

Mr John Hayes: The long standing operational pairing process for Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres is an innate aspect of existing HM Coastguard operations and no records on its application are routinely recorded.

Railways: Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much of the funding made available to improve rail resilience to flooding has been (a) allocated to Network Rail and (b) spent to date.

Claire Perry: An additional £26 million was provided to Network Rail in March 2014 to support a three year programme of investment in flooding resilience measures on the Western Route, for completion in 2017. Network Rail is operationally independent and it is for them to plan this work in the way they believe is most effective. They have informed us that so far, £2.6 million of that funding has been spent.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on sharing citizens' data with (a) insurance companies and (b) other organisations which are outside government.

Claire Perry: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) manages the release of personal data from its registers on behalf of the Secretary of State. The DVLA provides information to organisations outside the government only where it is fair and lawful to do so and in compliance with the Data Protection Act. Safeguards are in place to help ensure that the information is disclosed only to legitimate organisations for specific purposes and is used appropriately.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Mr Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how each new grade on which new entrants to the Coastguard Service are employed compares with the mainstream, non-maritime Civil Service equivalents.

Mr John Hayes: The Civil Service grades for the new Coastguard roles, which all successful candidates either new entrants or existing Coastguards, are appointed to are as follows: Maritime OperationsNew Coastguard Job TitleCivil Service GradeMaritime Operations OfficerAdministrative OfficerSenior Maritime Operations OfficerExecutive OfficerMaritime Operations SpecialistHigher Executive OfficerMaritime Operations ControllerSenior Executive OfficerMaritime Operations CommanderGrade 7 Coastal OperationsNew Coastguard Job TitleCivil Service GradeSenior Coastal Operations OfficerHigher Executive OfficerCoastal Operations Area CommanderSenior Executive OfficerCoastal Operations Divisional CommanderGrade 7

Driving: Diabetes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help prevent drivers with type 2 diabetes losing their licence as a result of hypoglycaemia.

Claire Perry: The Department’s key responsibility is to maintain road safety for all road users. Those who are not medically fit to drive should not be issued with a driving licence. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) provide information to drivers with diabetes, including the symptoms of hypoglycaemia. The DVLA has also worked with organisations representing people with diabetes to provide clear information about the standards for driving.

East-West Rail Link

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what route options have been considered for the new railway between Bedford and Cambridge.

Claire Perry: Twenty route corridors have been identified, each of which could potentially provide a route between the existing Oxford - Bedford railway and Cambridge. The East West Rail Consortium of local authorities and Network Rail have evaluated these against agreed criteria and reduced them to seven corridors for further evaluation.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what reports he has received of operational difficulties arising from the Belfast Coastguard's expanded area of coverage.

Mr John Hayes: I am aware of Parliamentary Questions and correspondence from some Honourable Members of this House about staffing levels at Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre since its area of operation was expanded. I meet regularly with the Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and senior Coastguard officials who provide me with assurance on Her Majesty’s Coastguard matters.

A14

Mr David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what traffic flow data his Department holds for each section of the A14 in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mr John Hayes: The most recent traffic flow data for which figures are available is for the period 1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014. Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) flows for each section of the A14 are set out in the attached table (from Felixstowe to M1).



215697 - a14_Annual Average Daily Traffic flows
(Word Document, 84 KB)

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles have failed MOT tests because of the removal of diesel particulate filters in each of the last three years.

Claire Perry: The requirement to inspect diesel particulate filters as part of the MOT test was introduced on 19 February 2014; no information is available from before this date. Between 19 February 2014 and 17 October 2014, 347 vehicles with diesel engines failed the MOT test due to a missing diesel particulate filter.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Council Tax: Lancashire

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much additional revenue was raised by rises in council tax, including precepts by Lancashire County Council in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to date.

Kris Hopkins: Holding answer received on 20 November 2014



In 2013-14, Lancashire County Council reduced its council tax precept. They received a council tax freeze grant worth £4.3 million a year from the Government, which has been incorporated into the baseline. In 2014-15, the County Council increased its council tax, raising an additional £7.2 million in revenue. However, they lost out on the offer of £4.3 million a year of council tax freeze grant funding.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he informed local authorities that dedicated funding for local welfare assistance schemes would no longer be available from April 2015 before the publication of the provisional local government finance settlement; and if he will make a statement.

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has given to local authorities on supporting vulnerable residents after his Department's funding for local welfare assistance schemes ends in April 2015.

Kris Hopkins: Holding answer received on 21 November 2014



I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bolton South East (Yasmin Qureshi) on 17 November, PQ 213988.The consultation on how local welfare provision should be funded in 2015/16 closed on 21 November. The Government are analysing the responses, alongside the review by the Department for Work and Pensions into existing provision. The Government will make a decision based on this analysis in time for the provisional local government finance settlement in December 2014.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to announce the Government's response to the consultation on the future of local welfare assistance schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The Government will make a decision in time for the provisional local government finance settlement in December 2014.

Land Use

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the role of his Department is in overseeing the compliance of local authorities with rules governing fair competition when awarding contracts for the development of public land.

Brandon Lewis: All local authorities are bound by common law and must act reasonably and with due regard to their general fiduciary duty to tax payers. The compliance for awarding contracts by local authorities for any work, not just the sale for development of public land, is laid out in the Public Contracts Regulations. There is no day-to-day role for my Department to play in overseeing compliance.The Secretary of State does have back-stop powers to intervene in a local authority under section 15 of the Local Government Act 1999 where he is satisfied that the authority is failing to comply with the requirements of Part1 of that Act - to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

Equal Pay

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the gender pay gap for employees of local authorities in (a) Stoke Newington and Hackney North constituency, (b) Hackney local authority area, (c) London and (d) England; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: Local authorities are independent employers, each responsible for the management of their workforces. This includes the pay and reward of staff and ensuring that they meet their duties as employers under equality legislation. The Local Government Association publish research on local authority workforce matters. In their most recent Earnings Survey, the Local Government Association estimate that in the 2013-14 gender pay gap in local government was one per cent. This compares with 4.3 per cent in 2010-11.

Travel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what amount his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) the Government Car and Despatch Agency and (b) other car hire in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fire Services: Industrial Disputes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate he has made of the cost to local and central government of industrial action in the fire service since January 2014; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the number of households in the private rented sector which have been evicted by their landlords in retaliation for asking a landlord to improve poor or dangerous conditions in 2013-14.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to protect renters in the private rented sector from being evicted in retaliation for making complaints to landlords about their properties.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 27 November 2014



We have given our backing in principle to my hon. Friend, the Member for Brent Central's (Sarah Teather) Tenancies (Reform) Bill, which seeks to protect tenants from the small minority of rogue landlords who, rather than meet their legal duty to keep their properties at a reasonable standard and remove health and safety hazards, instead evict tenants simply for asking for essential repairs to be made. But we need to ensure that the Bill does not impose unfair burdens on the whole sector, as the overwhelming majority of landlords are responsible. The Bill should be balanced, such that tenants cannot make vexatious complaints, and that it does not bring in excessive red tape. The Bill will have its 2nd reading on 28 November, and this will give the House an opportunity to debate its merits.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Malaysia

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports his Department has received of theft of metal and other valuable items from HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales which were sunk off the coast of Malaysia in December 1941.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are concerned by reports of damage being done to the wrecks of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse by metal salvage companies and recreational divers off the coast of Malaysia. We welcome the actions of the Malaysian Marine Department which impounded a vessel responsible for illegally disturbing and salvaging ship material for scrap earlier this year.

Diplomatic Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of British ambassadors and high commissioners were educated at (a) private school, (b) state school, (c) the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and (d) other universities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As the details of where British Ambassadors and High Commissioners were educated are not held centrally, this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Diplomatic Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of how many members of his Department's advisory board on the appointment of ambassadors and high commissioners were educated at (a) private school, (b) state school, (c) the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and (d) other universities.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are three boards within the FCO that advise on appointments for High Commissioners and Ambassadors, depending on the grade of the position. Some members of these Boards overlap.4 Officers attended private school;7 Officers attended state school;We do not hold school details for 1 of these officers.5 Officers attended Oxford or Cambridge and7 Officers attended other Universities.

Iran

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of Iran's financial and material support for Hamas.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain deeply concerned by Iran’s ongoing financial and material support for Hamas and other Palestinian rejectionist groups. The supply of arms to Hamas contravenes the embargo on Iranian arms exports established by UN Security Council Resolution 1747 and undermines prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to implement its objective of improving human rights in North Korea in addition to talks with counterparts in the North Korean government.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are maintaining pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) human rights record through international fora such as the UN Security Council and the United Nations Human Rights Council. Most recently this has involved working with EU colleagues and Japan to sponsor a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly’s Third Committee and lobbying to ensure it was adopted by a significant majority, sending an important signal that the systematic and widespread human rights violations in the DPRK will no longer be ignored by the international community.

GPT Special Project Management

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2014 to Question 210318, on what date the Embassy informed the Saudi government of the investigation; and by what means it did so.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British Embassy in Riyadh informed the Saudi Arabian government of the Serious Fraud Office's investigation into GPT Special Project Management Ltd during a meeting on 8 August 2012.

China

Mr William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made in the last 12 months to the government of the People's Republic of China on organ harvesting practices in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: We are aware that organs removed from executed prisoners are used for human transplantation purposes in China. Chinese law requires that prisoners give prior consent for their organs to be used in this way.In March 2012, the Chinese government announced plans to phase out the use of organs from executed prisoners for transplant and to create a national organ donation system. We continue to encourage China to make further progress in this respect, including by sharing best practice.We most recently raised allegations of forced organ removal and the treatment of detainees in China at the UK China Human Rights Dialogue in May 2014. We also highlight our concerns publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk).

Malaysia

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with the Malaysia authorities with the aim of preventing inappropriate activity on the wrecks of HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have sought assistance from Malaysia in preventing unauthorised salvage and damage to the military maritime graves of HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales, mindful of the difficulty of doing so when they are situated in international waters. Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur released a press statement on 23 May welcoming the Malaysian impounding of a vessel responsible for illegally disturbing and salvaging scrap from wrecks in the area.

Middle East

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Palestinian counterparts on levels of incitement to violence against Israel.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Officials from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem regularly speak to members of the Palestinian leadership including representatives from the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the President’s office and the Prime Minister’s office, to underline the importance of the Palestinian leadership taking all possible steps, including avoiding the use of inflammatory rhetoric, to reduce tension and encourage calm in Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). I also raised the importance of this issue with interlocutors on both sides on my visit to Israel and the OPTs in October.

Antisemitism

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had (a) with his counterparts from Belgium, France and the Netherlands and (b) in EU fora about the incidence of anti-Semitic attacks in those countries.

Mr David Lidington: The British Government is committed to combating anti-Semitism wherever it is found and supports the efforts of EU partners to tackle racism in all its forms.As current Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), we will be discussing the recent rise in anti-Semitism across Europe (and particularly Holocaust denial and denigration) with European partners and others at the IHRA's Plenary Meetings in Manchester in December.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also works very closely with the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, which provides expert advice on tackling anti-Semitism to other EU Member States.The British Government was represented by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my Hon Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Ms Mordaunt), at the tenth anniversary of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Conference and Declaration on Anti-Semitism, held in Berlin on 13 November. We hope the OSCE as a whole will take note of, and act upon, recommendations made at that conference.

Mexico

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Mexican government on the disappearance of students from their college in Guerrero on 26 September 2014.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have been closely monitoring the recent tragic events in Guerrero and both Ministers and officials have raised the case with their Mexican counterparts. During the recent UK-Mexico High Level Political Talks in Mexico City, I personally highlighted the importance of a thorough and transparent investigation into the disappearance of the 43 students and the importance of ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice. We welcome the statements made by the Mexican government, promising that there will be no impunity for those responsible and stand ready to support.

Kashmir

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian and Pakistani  counterparts on a resolution to the situation in Kashmir.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has spoken to both his Indian and Pakistani counterparts about regional issues in recent weeks. The longstanding position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to mediate in finding one.

Iran

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the statements by the government of Iran that that country's nuclear activities are for exclusively civilian nuclear purposes.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We welcome Iran's statements that its programme is exclusively peaceful. However international concerns about its programme remain. These are based on IAEA reports and national assessments. Iran needs to resolve with the IAEA the outstanding issues surrounding the possible military dimension to its nuclear programme. It also needs to restore confidence with the international community through concluding and implementing a comprehensive agreement with the E3+3 on its nuclear programme.

Attorney General

Corruption

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Attorney General, how many Suspicious Activity Report intelligence packs relating to corruption in which countries the Serious Fraud Office has received from the National Crime Agency in the last four years.

Mr Robert Buckland: The National Crime Agency does not routinely disseminate Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) to the Serious Fraud Office.   The SFO has direct access to the SARs database through a secure online portal which it regularly searches to assist any investigation into financial crime including corruption.

Corruption

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Attorney General, how many requests the Serious Fraud Office has received for mutual legal assistance in relation to corruption from which countries in each of the last four years.

Mr Robert Buckland: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) does not receive Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) requests directly, but in appropriate cases the United Kingdom Central Authority (UKCA) will refer an MLA request to the SFO for execution. the table below details the number of requests for mutual legal assistance in relation to corruption have been referred to the SFO by the UKCA in each of the past 4 years.   2010 10 2011 9 2012 11 2013 14   A breakdown by country is not provided as it may lead to the identification of an individual MLA request and it is Government policy neither to confirm nor deny the existence, content or status of any individual MLA request.

Prosecutions

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Attorney General, on how many occasions the prosecuting authorities have offered a company the opportunity to enter into Deferred Prosecution Agreement negotiations in the last five years.

Mr Robert Buckland: Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) became available to prosecutors on 24 February 2014. The DPA Code of Practice sets out the procedure to be followed. Letters of invitation to a company to enter into DPA negotiations are confidential.

Corruption

Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Attorney General, how many self-reports from companies relating to bribery the Serious Fraud Office has received since its submission to the OECD Phase 3 Report on Implementing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, published in March 2012; and how many of those reports relate to (a) current and (b) closed investigations.

Mr Robert Buckland: I refer the Right Honourable gentleman to my answer of 4 September, Official Report, Column 290W.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Insolvency

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on financial redress for creditors from April 2015 of changes to funding of insolvency litigation in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Jo Swinson: Insolvency trade body, R3, commissioned research to try to measure the impact of the civil justice reforms on insolvency litigation. This research estimates that contingency fee arrangement backed insolvency litigation realises £150m-160m per annum.When the exemption for insolvency proceedings was introduced in 2013 the impact assessment made the assumption that by April 2015 alternative funding arrangements would have been developed for insolvency cases. On that basis it was assumed there would be no major impact on the volume of insolvency cases which were pursued, or on the value of assets recovered in the long-run, although the risk of recoveries falling was acknowledged.

Apprentices

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to encourage people from ethnic minorities to apply for apprenticeships.

Nick Boles: The Government commissioned research into gender and apprenticeships and ethnicity and apprenticeships. A report was published in December 2013. Following this a new advisory group has been established to help address barriers and increase diversity within apprenticeships.   In the last two years, projects under the Skills Funding Agency’s Equality and Diversity Good Practice Fund have encouraged people from ethnic minorities to apply for apprenticeships, including Chiltern Training, Awaaz and Heba.   Additionally the ‘Get In. Go far’ campaign launched in September this year, aims to promote apprenticeships to a wide range of potential applicants and has generated over a million hits on YouTube. The number of applications made through the Apprenticeships Vacancies website from ethnic minority candidates increased from 328,110 in 2012/13 to 382,520 in 2013/14. Full information on the number of apprenticeship applications by ethnicity is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/371696/ApprenticeshipVacancyReportNumberofapplicationsbyAgeGenderEthnicityorSSAorProgrammeLevelNov14.xls

EU External Trade: USA

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the NHS of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

Matthew Hancock: There is no threat to the UK’s National Health Service from TTIP. This was confirmed again by the European Commission’s chief negotiator Ignacio Garcia Bercero at a meeting organised to the All Party Parliamentary Group on TTIP this week.   The chief negotiator outlined that EU public services are automatically excluded from all EU trade in service market liberalisation agreements. Publicly funded health services are specifically excluded. Member states decide how to deliver their public services and can change the delivery model at any time. TTIP will not change the fact that it is up to UK Government alone to decide how UK public services, including the NHS, are run.

Electronic Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure its services are available online; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: A number of BIS services are available online including transaction services (e.g. filing information and accounts at Companies House), as well as online guidance available on GOV.UK and information on BIS services. BIS also uses digital channels to engage stakeholders in developing policy making.BIS is committed to the vision set out in the Government Digital Strategy, publishing its own digital strategy in 2012. BIS and Partner Organisations have embarked on a digital transformation programme that by 2020 will ensure that all services that can be redesigned as such will be 'digital by default' and available on GOV.UK. They will be redesigned around the needs of users i.e. businesses, students, employees and consumers.As a critical first step, BIS is playing a key role as part of the Government's Digital Exemplar Programme covering organisations with services that have over 100k transactions annually. BIS provides 5 of the 25 exemplar services. These are:Patents Renewal (Intellectual Property Office (IPO))Redundancy Payments (Insolvency Service)Land Registry Digital Delivery ServiceApprenticeships (Skills Funding Agency)Part-Time Student Finance (Student Loans Company)Each of these services have or are being redesigned to be digital by default. Two are already live - Patents Renewal and Part-Time Student Finance - and the remaining three will be publicly available by end March 2015.Beyond the exemplar services, The BIS Digital and Technology 2020 roadmap will identify all current non-digital services across BIS and Partner Organisations that need to be redesigned to be digital by default by 2020 along with the estimated timelines for development and online availability.

Iron and Steel

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department last discussed with the European Commission dumping in the steel industry.

Matthew Hancock: BIS are in regular contact with Commission officials responsible for Anti-Dumping investigations, and have had discussions with them this year about a specific case of alleged dumping, and related matters, in the steel market. The most recent contact took place on 26 November.

Iron and Steel

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he last met or spoke to representatives of the UK Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels regarding the traceability and certification of Chinese and Turkish steel products imported to the UK.

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Development

Africa: Females

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department is doing to help end the practice of breast-ironing in Western, Eastern and Central African countries.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Addressing violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for the UK Government and DFID. We have prioritised work to end VAWG and break the silence on all harmful traditional practices like breast ironing. Tackling the root causes and drivers of sexual and gender-based violence is essential to make progress on eliminating violence against women and girls. While we do not have programmes specifically addressing the harmful traditional practice of breast ironing, we are working to end all forms of violence against women and girls in whatever way it presents itself. Details of our VAWG programmes in 29 countries can be found on development tracker.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to the government of Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: From 2012 to 2015, DFID is providing £196 million to Yemen to address urgent humanitarian needs; build communities’ resilience and deliver basic services; and support the political transition and economic reform to increase citizens’ confidence in government and lay the groundwork for longer-term stability and development. None of DFID’s funding is channelled directly through the Government of Yemen’s systems.   Since 2012, DFID has provided emergency and early recovery assistance to over 850,000 Yemenis; emergency food assistance to over 600,000; reached over 1 million through our nutrition programmes; and helped over 150,000 have better access to finance.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to provide further support to the government of Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The UK is deeply concerned by recent events in Yemen. The political transition in Yemen must not be allowed to fail and we are supporting President Hadi, Prime Minister Bahah and all parties working constructively to implement the Peace and National Partnership Agreement, and Gulf Co-operation Council Initiative and Implementation Mechanism.   DFID will continue to support the Government of Yemen’s political transition, including through a new constitution, referendum and elections, and their economic reform plans. We will also continue to meet urgent humanitarian needs, tackle malnutrition, deliver basic services and improve access to finance.

Art Works

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on transporting, installing and removing works of art from the Government Art Collection for the display of artwork in her Department since May 2010.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Since May 2010 DFID has not been charged by DAC for transporting, installing and removing works of art from the Government Art Collection.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2014 to Question 213558, when her Department's guidance on the impact of the 2014 EU Procurement Directives on the procurement by local authorities of school places for children and young people with special educational needs will be published.

Mr Edward Timpson: Cabinet Office has recently consulted on draft Regulations to implement the new EU procurement Directives[1] and is considering its response. The Cabinet Office plans to publish guidance on the new Regulations before they come into force.The Department for Education is currently working with the Cabinet Office to understand the implications of these changes. The Department will communicate with local authorities in the spring so they are clear on the position. If necessary we will issue additional guidance in the spring.[1] www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transposing-the-2014-eu-procurement-directives

Employment: Females

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage increased female representation in (a) science and technology and (b) other traditionally male-dominated sectors; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Boles: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has confirmed that she wants to see improvements to the quality of careers advice and guidance available to young people. We have issued revised statutory guidance for schools, which strengthens the requirement to build links with employers to inspire and mentor students. Schools are free to determine the most appropriate forms of engagement but might consider mentoring, workplace visits, work experience and employer talks. This will be particularly helpful in addressing stereotypes about specific career paths and providing young people with inspirational role models in a range of careers.We have made significant progress in attracting more students to study science and maths at A level. Compared to 2010, we now have a thousand more girls studying physics every year and two thousand more girls studying maths. Our most recent A level results show that for the first time maths is now the most popular A level subject. The proportion of students entering A levels in biology, chemistry and physics has all increased too.However, we need to go further. The Government has reformed the national curriculum and qualifications, to ensure that they enable young people to acquire the necessary knowledge and understanding to progress to further study and employment; we are recruiting top graduates into teaching by providing bursaries and scholarships in mathematics and the sciences of up to £25,000; and we are supporting schools through professional development and enrichment programmes, such as the Stimulating Physics Network and the establishment of 32 Maths Hubs.The Government is also supporting Your Life, a three-year industry-led campaign, to ensure the UK has the maths and science skills it needs to succeed in a competitive global economy. The Your Life campaign will help to inspire young people to study A level maths and physics as a gateway to exciting and wide-ranging careers, and help employers recruit and retain talent, particularly women.

Art Works

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on transporting, installing and removing works of art from the Government Art Collection for the display of artwork in her Department since May 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government Art Collection covers the cost of transporting, installing and removing works of art in government departments, except in particular circumstances.The breakdown of this information by Department is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Finance

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding calculations for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools track demand and pupil numbers closely.

Mr David Laws: Funding to local authorities for both primary and secondary schools is calculated on the basis of pupil numbers recorded in the Schools Census in October of the previous year. This lagged funding system allows local authorities to set firm school budgets before the financial year starts, which helps schools’ financial planning. The lagged funding system means that institutions experiencing growth in-year will not ordinarily see increases in their funding until the following financial year.Local authorities do have the freedom to top slice the dedicated schools grant to form a growth fund, which can be used to support schools and academies suffering financial difficulty due to growing pupil numbers in their area. It is for local authorities to decide whether to set up a growth fund, and which schools in their areas should benefit from this fund.

Schools: Islam

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to prevent and reduce Islamophobia in primary and secondary schools.

Mr Edward Timpson: The Department for Education is committed to tackling Islamophobia and all other forms of prejudice in our schools. We want every school to promote fundamental British values, including mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. Citizenship education, as part of the new national curriculum, should cover the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding. We have also strengthened teachers’ powers and provided additional funding to deal with bullying, including racist bullying. Ofsted inspections include consideration of how well schools prevent bullying and tackle harassment and discrimination, as required by the Equality Act 2010.

Pupils: Bullying

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department took to ensure that primary and secondary schools in England marked anti-bullying week; and what steps her Department is taking to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government has sent a clear message to all schools that bullying is unacceptable and that they should take steps to prevent it from happening and to tackle it when it does.While it was a matter for schools to determine whether to mark anti-bullying week, the Department for Education supported activities held as part of anti-bullying week. Nick Gibb, Minister of State for School Reform, attended an event hosted by the Diana Award to celebrate the work of its anti-bullying ambassadors. Edward Timpson, Minister of State for Children and Families, attended an event hosted by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which focused on the bullying of children with special educational needs and disabilities. He also attended an anti-bullying assembly at the Ark Global Academy in London which featured WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, which champions anti-bullying in the USA) as part of the lead-in to anti-bullying week.As well as raising the profile of the occasion via the Department’s twitter account, we also published two pieces of advice at the beginning of anti-bullying week. The first is to on help teachers to guard themselves against cyberbullying and what to do if it happens. This information is published online at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/374850/Cyberbullying_Advice_for_Headteachers_and_School_Staff_121114.pdfThe second piece of advice is for parents on how to help keep their children safe from cyberbullying, the signs to look for that they might be being cyberbullied and how to respond if they are. This information is published online at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/375420/Advice_for_Parents_on_Cyberbullying_131114.pdfThe Department is providing just under £4 million to anti-bullying organisations over two years (2013-15) and it has recently launched two grant programmes: a £25 million voluntary and community sector grant which includes work to address all bullying in schools; and a £2 million grant in conjunction with the Government Equalities office to support projects that specifically tackle homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools.

Sixth Form Colleges: VAT

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of not returning VAT costs of sixth form colleges on competition in the market for education provision for 16 to 19 year olds.

Nick Boles: All 16-19 providers are funded on an equal basis in relation to the students that they recruit but the Department for Education does not factor into funding the costs of the different legal and corporate status of 16-19 providers. The Department has not looked specifically at the impact of not paying VAT on competition in the market.

ICT: Curriculum

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to encourage schools to provide students with hands-on programming experience.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The new computing programmes of study, which were introduced in September 2014, have a greater focus on how computers work and the basics of programming. They also cover digital literacy and the application of information technology. Primary school pupils should be taught how to design and write programs to accomplish specific goals, using sequencing, selection and repetition; and secondary school pupils should be taught to use at least two programming languages to solve a variety of computational problems.

Electronic Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure its services are available online; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department is working closely with Cabinet Office’s Government Digital Services (GDS) to embed a ‘digital by default’ approach to the development of all of our services and to ensure that our services have the appropriate high-quality, cost effective support in place for those who need help to use them. In December 2014, an annual report will be published on GOV.UK outlining the progress we have made against the key 16 actions stipulated by GDS to ensure that our services are available online. We are currently refreshing our departmental digital strategy for 2015 and beyond.The current strategy is published online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-departmental-digital-strategy

Adoption: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children were adopted in Brighton and Hove over the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Edward Timpson: The data requested is shown in the table below and is also published in Table LAE1 of the ‘Children looked after including adoption’ statistical first release [1].Number of looked after children adopted in Brighton and Hove local authority [1]Years ending 31 March 2010 to 2014  Number of looked after children adopted during the year20102011201220132014Brighton and Hove3025255040  Source: SSDA903Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5.[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption--2

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: LGBT People

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what measures his Department has put in place to protect prisoners declaring themselves to be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered from homophobic abuse and bullying while in detention.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will not tolerate violence of any kind in prisons and takes any instance extremely seriously. It insists on respectful and decent behaviour from staff, prisoners and others with whom we work. Where discrimination, harassment or bullying, either homophobic or for any other reason occurs, we take prompt and appropriate action. All violence (including bullying, victimisation and harassment), is dealt with quickly and robustly, with serious incidents referred to the police for prosecution. Current policy contained in Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 64/2011 states that every verbal or physical act of violence must be challenged, and this includes bullying. Any prisoners engaging in violence, intimidation or bullying behaviour will have their privileges reviewed and may be subject to prosecution or disciplinary action. NOMS is currently reviewing the policy and practice of the management of violence with the aim of issuing further guidance to prison staff in early 2015.

Belmarsh Prison

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) sentenced and (b) remand prisoners were held in HMP Belmarsh for the offence of criminal damage on 31 December 2013.

Andrew Selous: As at 31 December 2013 there were fewer than 5 sentenced and remand prisoners held at HMP Belmarsh for the offence of criminal damage.Numbers of less than 5 cannot be produced as this may allow for the identification of a certain individual.

Prisoners' Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners held in open prisons have previously breached a licence condition whilst released on temporary licence on more than one occasion.

Andrew Selous: Temporary release can be a valuable tool in the resettlement of prisoners in the community, but it must never take place at the expense of public safety. We have conducted a fundamental review of the policy and practice of release on temporary licence (ROTL). We have already made significant changes, including the introduction of a ban on transfer to open or ROTL for any prisoner who escapes, absconds, fails to return from ROTL or commits an offence whilst on ROTL during their current sentence.There are few ROTL failures; substantially less than 0.1% in 2013 resulting in failure. Between April and June 2014 (the latest period for which data are available), there were a total of 69 recorded temporary release failures, 40% lower than the same quarter in 2013.The change in policy for eligibility for open conditions mentioned above was not applied retrospectively. Offenders already in open conditions were assessed by NOMS and, for the most part, they were allowed to remain in open conditions because of their current compliance with the regime and favourable risk assessment. However, any prisoners who were assessed to present an unacceptable risk in such conditions in light of their previous non-compliance were returned to closed prisons.As at 30 June 2014, there were a total of 8 prisoners held in open prisons who are recorded as having failed their release on temporary licence on more than one occasion between 01 April 2010 and 30 June 2014. Sufficiently detailed data on failures preceding this date could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost due to changes in recording practice. “ROTL Failure” includes all recorded breaches of ROTL; ie relatively minor breaches such as late return as well as more serious breaches like failure to return or offending on ROTL.

Hewell Prison

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the findings of the recent report by HM Inspectorate of Prisons on HMP Hewell.

Andrew Selous: A new Governor was appointed shortly before the inspectorate visit as part of performance improvement measures and the Chief Inspector acknowledged the positive impact since his appointment. The Governor is now producing an action plan in response to the inspection. Remedial actions and timescales are being identified to improve all areas of identified weakness. Action plan progress will be monitored by NOMS internal audit mechanism and the prison rating system.

Prisoners' Release

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to carry out an equality impact assessment on the effect of the new scheme for recall adjudicators proposed in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill.

Andrew Selous: There was consideration of equality impacts before the provisions went into the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill to create a system of recall adjudicators to review the detention of recalled determinate sentenced offenders. This found that the new system should not give rise to direct or indirect discrimination; and there is insufficient evidence to suggest that any particular group of offender will be put at a particular disadvantage. Implementation of the new system of recall adjudicators will be subject to ongoing equality considerations, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. The system will uphold the principles of procedural fairness in introducing a streamlined process for reviewing the detention of recalled determinate sentence offenders.

Insolvency

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the economic effect on small businesses of reforms to funding of insolvency litigation implemented by the Legal Act, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Mr Shailesh Vara: When it came to power this Government made a priority of controlling legal costs which had become unsustainably high. We made changes to the law on how ‘no win, no fee’ conditional fee agreements (CFAs) operate, following recommendations by Lord Justice Jackson. The CFA reforms in Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 were delayed for insolvency cases until April 2015, to allow parties sufficient time to prepare for and adapt to the changes. In April 2011 the Government published an Impact Assessment in relation to the reforms set out in Part 2 of the LASPO Act. It explained that there may be a reduction in the number of cases brought where no win no fee CFAs are used, but overall the LASPO reforms should make costs more proportionate.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2014 to Question 215057, if he will make an estimate of the Exchequer effect of the change in the number of serious crimes that will now be dealt with by way of the Criminal Justice System rather than the prison disciplinary system.

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2014 to Question 215057, whether his Department made an estimate of the cost to the Exchequer of the proposals in the press release entitled, Crackdown on violence in prisons before making that press release.

Andrew Selous: I refer to my reply of 24 November. The aim of the joint protocol between NOMS, the police and the CPS is to strengthen, rather than replace, existing policy and requirements on the reporting of crime committed in prison. It is not anticipated that a large number of additional crimes will be processed through the court as a result of the protocol. Rather, the protocol will be used to prioritise referrals of crime to the police to ensure that the Criminal Justice System can target those crimes causing most problems in prison, those committed by persistent or violent criminals or those who are part of organised crime groups. As stated previously, the potential costs arising from the increased number of serious crimes that will now be dealt with by way of the Criminal Justice System rather than the prison disciplinary system will depend on a number of factors and it is the expectation that any additional costs will be covered through prioritising within existing Police and Departmental budgets for handling crime.

Employment: Discrimination

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of whether the level of tribunal fees acts as a disincentive to women bringing a sex discrimination claim.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Fees were introduced in Employment Tribunals on 29 July 2013 to reduce the burden on the taxpayer and to encourage parties to use alternative methods for resolving disputes. It is not the Government’s intention to deter anyone from bringing a valid claim to the tribunals. The Government has committed to carry out a comprehensive review of the introduction of Employment Tribunal fees. An announcement on the scope and timing of the review will be made in due course.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Young People

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his letter to the Defence Committee of 1 August 2014, whether the cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment of minors was based on (a) the final analysis or (b) the draft cost-benefit analysis; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the letter of 1 August 2014 to the Defence Committee, whether his Department's cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment of minors has been finalised; and if he will make a statement.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2014 to Question 211635, what progress he has made on reviewing the cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment and training of minors; and when he plans to publish that report.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 26 November 2014



The figures used in my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary's letter of 1 August 2014 to the Defence Committee were taken from the final version of the cost-benefit analysis.The report has been finalised and a copy is attached 



Army Junior Entry Training Cost Benefit Alaysis
(Word Document, 589 KB)




Army Foundation College Supervisory Care Directive
(Word Document, 148 KB)

Armed Forces: Young People

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel under the age of 18 have been sent to a combat zone in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 24 November 2014



One Serviceman under the age of 18 was deployed to Afghanistan in January 2010, for a period of approximately three months. Ministry of Defence records indicate the likelihood that another Serviceman under the age of 18 was deployed to Afghanistan in early 2010, but that, in this event, he was removed from theatre immediately upon his arrival. Due to the actions that were identified and acted upon to ensure such mistakes were not repeated, there have been no such deployments since 2011.

Health Services: Veterans

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to NHS care for veterans.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 24 November 2014



The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has made no such assessment, since the NHS is responsible for access to care for veterans. The NHS also makes no such assessment as their services are available to all, based on clinical need. The vast majority of Service leavers are fit and well, and no individual who is injured in the course of their duty will leave the Armed Forces until it is right for them to do so, however long that takes. For this reason, when an individual is medically discharged from the Armed Forces, the MOD has a Transition Protocol in place for the effective smooth transition of their health and social care needs to local public providers. The Transition Protocol was reviewed earlier this year, as part of the House of Commons Defence Committee inquiry into Military Casualties. NHS England and the Devolved Administrations all reported that the Protocol is working well. Any issues which do arise are handled through the Defence Recovery Strategy Group, who are charged with ensuring full compliance with the Protocol. In addition, the Armed Forces Covenant specifies that veterans should enjoy the same standard of healthcare by the NHS as any other UK citizen in the area where they live, and receive priority, subject to the clinical needs of others, for conditions resulting from Service. The NHS and the Devolved Administrations are signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, and the NHS in England is mandated to meet this commitment.

Army Reserve

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which minister of his Department signed off the decisions to raise the upper age limit of recruitment in the Army Reserve from (a) 43 to 52 years old for former regular forces personnel and (b) 45 to 50 for those with specialist skills to become officers.

Mr Julian Brazier: Holding answer received on 24 November 2014



While decisions to raise the upper age limits for joining the Army Reserve do not require Ministerial authority, Ministers were aware of the changes.The raising of the age of entry into the Army Reserve for ex-Regulars allows a greater number to join the Army Reserve and continue their military careers. In doing so they bring with them valuable skills and experience from their Regular service which is of benefit to the Army Reserve. In addition, the age limits for those with specialist skills were raised in May 2012. These are sensible measures to attract the best talent into the Army Reserve and which reflect the Government's intention to expand Reserve Forces.

Armed Forces: Housing

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many housing adaptations his Department has carried out for wounded service personnel in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 25 November 2014



The majority of adaptations to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties are carried out for the benefit of family members and dependants. It is not possible to identify separately those carried out for the benefit of injured Service personnel. In many cases, the MOD aims to move families into SFA properties which have already been adapted where this is appropriate, rather than understanding further adaptations. The number of adaptations to privately owned houses of personnel injured on operations is shown in the following table: Financial Year Number of Adaptations   2011-12 69 2012-13 95 2013-14 73 2014-15 (to end October 2014) 58 Data prior to this date is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the size of the armed forces after 2015.

Michael Fallon: Our policy is to deliver the Future Force 2020 programme outlined in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Reserve Forces

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of the advertising budget to support reserve recruitment campaigns has been to date; and what the overall budget is for such expenditure in the future.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Reserve Forces: Cardiff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the number of completed recruitments to the Reserve Forces was from applicants residing in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each month since January 2011.

Mr Julian Brazier: We have taken ‘completed recruitments’ to mean enlistments. Of the single Services, only the Army collects data in the format requested. I will therefore provide figures for the Maritime Reserves and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force based on recruitment from the Cardiff Armed Forces Careers Office, as this is the lowest level of regional data obtainable. Enlistments to the Maritime Reserve from the Cardiff Armed Forces Careers Office since January 2011: Financial YearAprilMayJuneJulyOctoberNovemberDecemberFebruaryMarch2010-110000000112011-121011511122012-130001400122013-140403100022014-15000313000  Enlistments to the Army Reserve from applicants residing in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency since January 2011: FinancialYearAprilMayJuneJulySeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberFebruaryMarch2010-1100000000102011-1200011400042012-1311000301022013-1400000200102014-152010101000  There have been no enlistments to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force from the Cardiff Armed Forces Careers Office since January 2011.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which country uniforms for the (a) British Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy, including the Royal Marines, are manufactured.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has a large number of contracts for clothing with UK and international suppliers. However, the detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Reserve Forces: Cardiff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many expressions of interest in applying to join the Reserve Forces there were from applicants working in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each month since January 2011.

Mr Julian Brazier: The single Services receive 'expressions of interest' on a wide variety of subjects and therefore we do not hold any data which would appropriately answer your question.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on each long lead item for the Successor submarine; and how much his Department has spent on the Successor submarine programme to date.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Successor submarine will have 12 missile tubes; whether those submarines will be sent on patrol filled with 12 missiles; whether those submarines will be armed with nuclear warheads; and whether those submarines can set sail with empty missile tubes.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 5 of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, what the saving was to the public purse of reducing the number of operational launch tubes on submarines to eight during the spending review period; and whether the £3.2 billion saving in the 10 years from 2010 was contingent on each Successor submarine having eight missile tubes armed with eight Trident D5 II missiles armed with 40 warheads.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Successor submarine will be based on a 12-tube common missile compartment, but as stated in the 2010 Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR), it will be configured with only eight operational missiles, delivering a maximum of 40 nuclear warheads spread over these missiles. The submarines can sail with some tubes that are not configured with missiles. Such tubes would be configured with ballast cans to enable the submarine to dive. There were no savings associated with reducing the number of operational launch tubes on Successor to eight, as it remained the case that the best value for money solution was the 12-tube missile compartment design. The 2010 Trident Value for Money Review identified £3.2 billion of savings and deferrals over the next 10 years. These included the impact of reducing the cost of the submarine's missile compartment, resulting from an agreement with the US over the likely dimensions of the missile tubes (with consequent savings in predicted infrastructure changes) and the impact of a reduction in the overall UK warhead stockpile.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will estimate the potential cost of procuring (a) 12, (b) 32 and (c) 48 Trident II D5 missile tubes for the Successor submarines.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Work and Pensions

Art Works

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on transporting, installing and removing works of art from the Government Art Collection for the display of artwork in his Department since May 2010.

Steve Webb: This Department has spent £259 since May 2010 on removing works of art to be returned to the Government Art Collection. The expenditure was for returning art to the collection when one of our HQ Buildings (The Adelphi, London) closed in 2012.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evaluation his Department has made of the Job Services Australia model for classifying jobseekers; and what consideration he has given to the introduction of that model in the UK.

Esther McVey: The Department has undertaken one study adapting the claimant profiling approach currently used in Australia and is documented in the published report DWP Working Paper 116 (2013). We are exploring segmentation as a way to modernise service delivery and ensure we have the most effective support for all groups.   Reference:   Predicting likelihood of long-term unemployment: the development of a UK jobseekers’ classification instrument (2013) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210303/WP116.pdf

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he responded to the observation of the former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in a lecture at Greenwich University on 28 November 2013 that there is room for more ambition on youth employment policies in the UK.

Esther McVey: This Government is committed to supporting young people and doing everything it can to help them into work. We’ve seen youth unemployment fall for the past 13 months - it’s now 25% lower than a year ago - and this year we’ve seen the largest annual fall of youth unemployment on record. We have a range of support to help young people find employment, recognising the importance of a tailored approach dependent on needs. The success of the Government’s approach to tackling youth unemployment was clearly recognised in the Country Specific Recommendations, proposed by the Commission and adopted by the Council in summer 2014, which set out that the UK should maintain a commitment to the Youth Contract. The Youth Contract is a package of additional support worth nearly £1billion to help young unemployed people prepare for work and find a long term sustainable employment, building on the support already available through Jobcentre Plus and the Work Programme. We are on target to deliver an extra 250,000 work experience or sector-based work academy places by March 2015. Apprenticeships play a vital role for many young people, helping them at the outset of their working lives. There were 95,200 apprenticeship starts between Feb 2012 and July 2014 supported by the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme with 8000 more in the pipeline. In addition we have launched a number of pilots to support young people in gaining employment. These pilots include support for 16 and 17 year olds who are NEET and not in receipt of an out of work benefit and basic skills training for young people without a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths from day one of their claim. As part of our work in the G20 this year, we committed to provide young people with access to quality education and skills development, a smooth transition into the labour market and safe employment. As part of the G20 process we produced a Country Employment Plan, which underlines the wide range of policies carried out by Government to assist young people, ranging from support for unemployed young people under the Youth Contract, to provision for Apprenticeships and training opportunities. Given this wide range of support available, and the successes that young people are experiencing in the UK labour market, the Government is clear that it disagrees with the comments made by the former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is Department's policy that Jobcentre Plus officials should liaise with Health and Social Service agencies when benefit sanctions are applied to vulnerable individuals.

Esther McVey: There is no formal policy to liaise with Health and Social Service agencies when a sanction is applied. However, the department recognises the importance of ensuring claimants understand the requirements they must fulfil to get benefit, the consequences of not complying and support available when sanctioned, including reconsideration, appeal and hardship payments. As part of this, work coaches also encourage claimants to engage third party support where this is available.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2014 to Question 212396, what the mean number is of front line work coaches involved in testing in each stage of user acceptance testing.

Mr Mark Harper: We plan the testing of each new release of Universal Credit carefully and arrange for specific expert users to test the changes. This means that staff who have particular expertise in parts of Universal Credit are asked to specifically test that part of the system – such as Work Coaches or Service Centre agents. We do not have an average numbers of testers who are required to participate in testing – each test phase varies the numbers and length of testing completed, depending on the size and complexity of the elements of the release.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on reducing nitrogen dioxide and improving air quality in each year since 2010-11.

Dan Rogerson: We have spent the following on improving air quality, including reducing nitrogen dioxide, since 2010-11.   Financial yearEvidenceAir Quality Grant 2010-11£10,964,000£2,361,000 2011-12£10,947,000£3,078,745 2012-13£10,131,000£3,100,000 2013-14£9,958,000£1,000,000  Evidence expenditure includes money spent on air quality monitoring as well as research work to gather evidence and develop methodologies for assessing and improving air quality. The Air Quality Grant Programme supports actions by local authorities to improve local air quality.

Flood Control

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department plans to spend on capital investment to improve flood defences in each year from 2015-16 to 2020-21.

Dan Rogerson: This Government plans to spend the following each year from 2015/16 to 2020/21 on capital investment to reduce the risks of flooding and coastal erosion.   YearTotal Capital Investment2015/16£395m2016/17£376m2017/18£383m2018/19£389m2019/20£396m2020/21£403m

Training

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which Ministers in her Department have received media or communication training paid for by her Department.

Dan Rogerson: Lord de Mauley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Lords, received communications training in November 2014.

Fisheries: Government Assistance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Support for Fisherman Fund to replace lost and damaged fishing gear has been received by fishermen and businesses to date.

George Eustice: To date the Marine Management Organisation has made ‘storm damage’ payments to fishermen totalling £104,678.81 to replace lost or damaged fishing equipment with more selective gear.However projects totalling £393, 161 have been approved and the remainder will be paid once invoices are submitted.

Floods: Agriculture

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Farming Recovery Fund to cover the cost of restoration of agricultural land following the winter floods has been received by farmers and businesses to date.

George Eustice: To date, £1,007,642 has been paid out to farmers and businesses in receipt of a Farming Recovery Fund grant against claims totalling £1,851,913.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department spent on the implementation of badger culls for bovine TB control, and the costs to police forces of these culls in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15.

George Eustice: For the financial year 2012-13, Defra spent £2.5 million on badger control projects. This was inclusive of the costs of the postponed culling activity in 2012, as well as preparations for the 2013 targeted badger cull.   In the 2013-14 financial year, Defra invested £6.3 million in two badger cull pilots. The total cost of the policing operations for the two pilots was £3.5 million.   The implementation and policing costs for the badger culls in 2014-15 have not yet been finalised.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the use of antibiotics in farm animals is strictly for therapeutic purposes.

George Eustice: Guidance from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) makes it clear that routine preventative use of antibiotics in livestock is not responsible use of these veterinary medicines. The VMD works closely with animal health organisations on the provision of guidance to farmers and encourages the veterinary profession to develop and implement prescribing guidelines.

Marine Management Organisation

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review Marine Management Organisation policy on unannounced visits and inspections.

George Eustice: The Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) use of unannounced visits and inspections is an important element within its compliance and enforcement activities. The use of unannounced visits is always considered carefully by the MMO and these are only undertaken when other forms of inspection would be less effective.

Food and Environment Research Agency

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what bids her Department has received from the private sector to be a joint venture partner for the Food and Environment Research Agency.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has found a joint venture partner for the Food and Environment Research Agency; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to make a final decision on the preferred bidder for the joint venture partner for the Food and Environment Research Agency.

Dan Rogerson: The procurement exercise to find a joint venture partner for Fera is underway. Defra Ministers expect to take a decision on the preferred bidder in the new year following the formal evaluation exercise.

Hunting Act 2004

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to repeal the Hunting Act 2004 this session.

George Eustice: The Government’s position remains that we will bring forward a motion for a free vote on the repeal of the Hunting Act at an appropriate time when Parliamentary time allows.

Trees

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will meet representatives of the Woodland Trust and Country Living magazine to discuss a register of England's most important trees.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received on the Woodland Trust and Country Living magazine's campaign for a register of England's most important trees; and if she will make a statement.

Dan Rogerson: Defra has received nearly 10,000 emails and letters in support of the campaign for a register of England's most important trees. Defra officials are already in contact with the Woodland Trust on this matter and a meeting has been arranged.

Pigs

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the size of the pig stock in the (a) Yorkshire and Humber region and (b) UK in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: Estimates of the number of pigs on farms are provided in the table below. Regional estimates are only calculated every 3 years. The latest available estimates are presented here.   Table 1: Number of pigs on farms on 1 June each year (thousands):20102011201220132014 (provisional)UK44604441448148854820Yorkshire & Humber1223  1438Source: Defra June Survey of Agriculture

Dairy Farming

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the size of the dairy herd in the (a) Yorkshire and Humber region and (b) UK in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: Estimates of the size of the dairy breeding herd are provided in the table below. Regional estimates are only calculated every 3 years. The latest available estimates are presented here.   Table 1: Number of dairy breeding cows on farms on 1 June each year (thousands):20102011201220132014 (provisional)UK18301796179617821828Yorkshire & Humber91  83  Source: Cattle Tracing Scheme/Defra June Survey of Agriculture

Art Works

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on transporting, installing and removing works of art from the Government Art Collection for the display of artwork in her Department since May 2010.

Dan Rogerson: The Core Department has not incurred any costs when transporting, installing and removing works of art.

Dairy Farming

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage supermarkets to better support the UK dairy industry.

George Eustice: I understand the concerns over the current pressures on milk prices which is why I brought forward and chaired a meeting of the Dairy Supply Chain Forum last week.   Members, which include retailer representatives, discussed the recommendations made in the recent independent review of the dairy industry voluntary Code of Practice, one of which was to explore the possibility of expanding adoption of the Code within the supply chain to include retailers. Ideas are being actively explored by Members and I have asked for an update on progress in the New Year.

Mammals: Imports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what species of non-domestic mammals have been imported to the UK from (a) within and (b) outside the EU in each year since 2010; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The number and species of non-domestic mammals imported from within and outside the EU since 2010 are available in the following table;   EU Imports20102011201220132014 (to 25 Nov)Artiodactyla (Hoofed animals)263218100307298Carnivora excluding domestic cats, dogs and ferrets5382252173171Cetaceans (marine mammals)00131Chiroptera (bats)0211440Dasyuromorphia (carnivorous marsupials)00500Diprotodontia (marsupials)3311811Hyracoidea (herbivorous mammals)100442Insectivora (mammals such as hedgehogs)000114Lagomorpha (hares, rabbits) *274338407309957110255Macroscelidaes (shrew-like animals)00483EU Imports20102011201220132014 (to 25 Nov)Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates such as tapirs)2321121018Pinnipedae (marine mammals such as seals)31201Primates222248165388230Proboscidea (trunked mammals such as elephants)1330121Rodentia* (rodents)3278118985120831860418437Tubulidentae (aadvarks)00113Xenarthra (ant eaters)59979Total3610723412203633112429444Outside EU Imports20102011201220132014Primates19371601147916011612Lagomorphs* (hares/ rabbits)872438348184Other 123415493836803416296Total404331545353998318092 * These figures could potentially include domestic animals.

Animals: Imports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to collect information on whether animals imported from (a) inside and (b) outside the EU were bred in captivity or caught from the wild.

George Eustice: Under CITES, animal species which are imported into the UK from outside the EU must have an export certificate from the country of export stating whether that animal has been taken from the wild or is captive bred. Animals arriving from another EU Member State will only have such information if listed on Annex A (the highest level of protection) of Council Regulation 338/97 which implements CITES in the EU.

Home Office

Written Questions: Government Responses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to answer Question 199498, tabled by the hon. Member for Leeds Central on 6 June 2014.

James Brokenshire: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given on 17 July 2014, Official Report, column 780W.

Armed Forces: Libya

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Defence and (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the return of the Libyan armed forces personnel; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: During the planning, implementation and conclusion of training, the Home Office worked closely with the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Libyan command and supervisory team, Defence Section of the Libyan Embassy in London, Cambridgeshire Police and the Ministry of Defence Police.In particular, we worked closely with the MoD, Libyan Defence Section and Libyan command and supervisory team to return trainees who withdrew during the programme and once training had concluded.

Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy that passport offices should publicise the Electoral Commission's campaign to increase the number of UK citizens living abroad who are registered to vote in UK elections when people apply for passports.

James Brokenshire: Passport applications from British citizens overseas are made online and dealt with in the United Kingdom. There are no plans to forward material which is not relevant to the passport process when responding to passport applicants.

Radicalism

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what projects her Department is sponsoring to tackle radicalisation  leading to violent extremism in (a) Crawley and (b) nationally.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office provides support to local authority for Prevent activity based on an assessment of risk, to ensure that they understand the threat of extremism and are equipped to deal with it effectively. We currently fund 30 priority areas, plus an additional 14 areas which receive Home Office support for Prevent initiatives, but do not have a funded Prevent co-ordinator as in priority areas. Crawley is one of the additional areas. Since June 2011 the Home Office has funded over 180 Prevent local authority projects. These include activity on education, internet safety, and families – all projects now address the risk of travel to Syria and Iraq in different ways. £40 million has been allocated for Prevent spending in 2014/15.

Armed Forces: Libya

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the (a) Ministry of Defence and (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Office on constraining and restricting the undisciplined behaviour of Libyan personnel on Bassingbourn base; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: Prior to General Purpose Force training, the Home Office worked closely with the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office on planning for the vetting and selection of trainees and, along with the Libyan command and supervisory team, on contingency planning for indiscipline. We worked closely with the Ministry of Defence, Foreign Office, Libyan command and supervisory team, Police and the Defence Section of the Libyan embassy to address trainee behaviour concerns and take appropriate action, including withdrawing trainees who failed to meet the expected standard of behaviour and performance.

Entry Clearances: South Africa

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the size of the current UK visa application backlog in the regional processing hub in Pretoria, South Africa.

James Brokenshire: There is no backlog in Pretoria.

Entry Clearances: Kuwait

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library a copy of the business case for extending the electronic visa waiver scheme to Kuwait.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will place in the Library a copy of the impact assessment for extending the electronic visa waiver scheme to Kuwait.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 21 November 2014



The Home Secretary made a statement on the electronic visa waiver (EVW) scheme on 9 December 2013 (HC Deb, 9 December 2013, c4WS). No impact assessment of the intended extension of the EVW scheme to Kuwait will be made public, on national security grounds. The Government considers the immigration and other risks resulting from the extension of the EVW scheme to Kuwait to be acceptably low, and outweighed by the benefits of encouraging more legitimate Kuwaiti visitors coming to the UK.

Muslim Brotherhood

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what organisations in the UK have an affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood.

James Brokenshire: In April this year, the Prime Minister commissioned a review into the philosophy, activities, impact and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK and overseas to inform Government policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood. The review is internal and work is underway to consider its findings but we expect to say something publicly about its conclusions in due course.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to answer Question 214026, tabled by the hon. Member for Newport West on 10 November 2014.

James Brokenshire: I refer the Hon. Member to PQ 214026 answered on the 20th November 2014.

Electronic Government

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure its services are available online; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office is on a journey to becoming Digital by Default making its online services clearer, simpler and faster.The Home Office Digital Strategy (2012) shows how we will work with the Government Digital Service (GDS) to transform 3 of our most important high-volume services to make them digital by default. These 3 exemplar services are the Visa customer journey, Registered Traveller and Passport renewals. Our progress on the transformation of these services is available on www.gov.uk/transformation Under the leadership of a new Chief Digital Officer, appointed in October 2014, the Home Office is developing its digital capability to lead the design and delivery of further digital services, recognising the needs of some customers to be assisted in accessing digital services, whilst expanding the number of transactions available to customers online.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that British nationals living abroad are aware of visa requirements for foreign national spouses when they return to the UK.

James Brokenshire: The visa requirements for the foreign national spouses of British Citizens returning to the UK are set out on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/family-visasInformation on the location, opening times and contact details of UK visa application centres is available at: https://www.gov.uk/find-a-visa-application-centre

Information Officers

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff have been employed by her Department's press office in each of the last five years; how many such staff were paid more than (a) £40,000, (b) £50,000, (c) £75,000 and (d) £100,000 in each such year; and what the total cost of her Department's press office was in those years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Human Trafficking

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many human trafficking investigations have been commenced by the National Crime Agency in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Publicity

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what public awareness campaigns her Department has run in each of the last five years; how much each such campaign cost; and how much her Department spent on public awareness campaigns in each of the last five years.

Karen Bradley: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2014 to Question 210147, what agencies received grants made by central government bodies under the Prevent programme; and whether those grants are included under the central government heading in that Answer.

James Brokenshire: All funding classed as ‘central government’ is provided by the Home Office to delivery partners to deliver different strands of Prevent activity in the UK. It does not include central government running costs and staff salaries. We do not provide a breakdown of delivery partners that are in receipt of central government funding for Prevent activity. Disclosure of this information would detail how Prevent funding is apportioned and thus potentially the varying areas of threat to the national security of the UK.

Asylum: Finance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers received financial support in each local authority in England and Wales in (a) 2010 and (b) 2014.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Water

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce water (a) usage and (b) bills in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: Up to the end of March 2014 the Department has reduced annual water consumption and costs by 34% and 33% respectively against a 2009-10 baseline. This has been achieved through reductions in the built estate, installation of water saving equipment and continued monitoring of water use. Water invoices are checked and if necessary challenged to ensure value for money.

Wales Office

Railways

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the operation of cross-border rail services.

Stephen Crabb: I have had many discussions with my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Transport in recent weeks, leading to last week’s announcement of the electrification of the Great Western main line to Swansea and the Valley Lines. Passengers across South Wales will benefit from faster journey times and increased capacity on services.

Railways: Electrification

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent assessment he has made of the case for electrification on the North Wales coast mainline.

Stephen Crabb: Electrification of the North Wales main line would be a significant boost to the region’s transport links, maximising the benefits to be gained from the planned high speed line between Crewe and London.I met with business leaders in North Wales on 27 November and visited Rhyl station to discuss the importance of rail improvements to North Wales and its connections to the North of England, and my hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State will over the next few weeks be meeting stakeholders in North Wales to discuss the case for investment.

Railways: Electrification

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have held (i) orally and (ii) in writing with the Welsh Government about the electrification of the North Wales coast mainline.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has regular discussions with the Welsh Government about transport priorities in Wales, including the electrification of the North Wales main line. I am keen to continue to work with the Welsh Government and other stakeholders in North Wales to ensure that we make the strongest possible case for electrification.

HM Treasury

Vulture Funds: Argentina

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 17 November 2014, Official Report, column 49, what workarounds the Government is proposing so that Argentina can avoid technical default without paying vulture funds in full.

Andrea Leadsom: Securing the resolution of its sovereign debts is a matter for the government of Argentina. We encourage Argentina and its creditors to work towards a negotiated resolution.   The UK continues to actively engage in ongoing discussions to improve the operation of sovereign debt restructurings in international fora, including supporting the International Monetary Fund’s work on the contractual framework that has proposed new measures to reduce the power of holdout creditors in future debt restructurings.

Flexible Working

Gloria De Piero: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men have made a statutory application to request flexible working in his Department; and how many of those applications have been granted to date.

Andrea Leadsom: All requests for flexible working arrangements at HM Treasury are made direct to managers and agreed locally. The total number of requests for such arrangements are not held centrally and could only be retrieved at disproportionate costs.

Money Laundering

Diana Johnson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many investigations into money laundering have been initiated by the Financial Conduct Authority in each of the last five years; and how many such investigations have led to enforcement action.

Andrea Leadsom: The FCA/FSA has not prosecuted a case solely involving allegations of money laundering; however money laundering offences have been included on indictments in prosecutions for insider dealing and prosecutions relating to fraudulent investment scheme, in a number of cases over the past 5 years.   In addition to prosecuting offences of money laundering, the FCA also supervises how firms’ systems and controls meet their obligations under the Money Laundering Regulations and the FCA’s own handbook rules and can investigate and take enforcement action for breaches of these obligations. In the last 5 years the FSA/FCA have investigated and taken action against 8 firms for breaches of their financial crime obligations including the requirement to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 resulting in financial penalties.

Revenue and Customs

Mark Tami: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) maximum and (b) average number of call options a customer can choose from when making a telephone call to HM Revenue and Customs' customer service helpline.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot say what the maximum and average number of call options are that customers can choose from when making a telephone call to one of their customer service helplines. This is because the options vary depending on which helpline the customer calls. In addition HMRC uses automated speech recognition on its main helplines which responds to customers spoken requests, negating the need for them to select from a sequence of predetermined keypad options

Revenue and Customs

Mark Tami: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average holding time has been for calls made to HM Revenue and Customs' customer service helpline in each year since 2010.

Mr David Gauke: The Government publishes monthly performance figures from 2011-12 onwards. They are available at the following link:   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-plan-indicators

Revenue and Customs

Mark Tami: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many operators were employed to answer calls made to HM Revenue and Customs' customer service helpline in each year since 2010.

Mr David Gauke: This information requested is not available.

Housing: VAT

Guto Bebb: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations his Department has received on reducing the rate of VAT charged on the refurbishment of domestic dwellings; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: HM Treasury receives representations on many subjects including this one, and keeps all tax policy under review.

Electronic Government

Simon Kirby: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure its services are available online; and if he will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Treasury doesn’t currently have any online transactional services. We will ensure that any future services meet the Digital by Default Service Standard as set by the Government Digital Service (GDS).

Welfare Tax Credits

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many households had reductions in (a) working tax and (b) child tax credits as a result of an apprentice aged under 18 being resident in the household in 2013-14.

Priti Patel: The information is not available

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Infrastructure

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Oral Answer of 6 November 2014, Official Report, column 949, on energy security, what the evidential basis was for the statement that there was massive underinvestment in energy infrastructure in the previous decade.

Matthew Hancock: The Government faces the challenge of securing up to £100billion on investment in electricity generation and networks by the end of the decade to keep the lights on and decarbonise energy, having already attracted £45billion since 2010. This is a higher level of investment than previously achieved, based on ONS investment data going back to 2004. Bloomberg New Energy Finance data suggests that since 2010, an average of £7 billion has been invested each year in UK based renewable electricity, compared to £3 billion a year in the previous Parliament.

Energy Companies Obligation

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps he has taken to (a) protect Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) funding to March 2017 and (b) ensure that the funding available through ECO is reaching (i) the most vulnerable households and (ii) pensioners and elderly people.

Amber Rudd: These regulations will ensure that for the first time we have a long-term certainty for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to 2017 and will support an additional 620,000 households, and includes solid wall de minimis.ECO delivers energy efficiency measures that make a real difference to those at risk of fuel poverty. Affordable Warmth is targeted at low income and vulnerable households on certain means tested benefits, including pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit. This part of ECO alone has delivered around 380,000 measures to over 300,000 low income and vulnerable households between January 2013 and September 2014. Another element of ECO, the Carbon Saving Community Obligation (CSCO), supports households living in low income and rural areas. This has seen 270,000 measures delivered (including interim measures reported by energy companies).Draft Regulations to establish the ECO to March 2017 have been laid and were debated in Parliament in late November.

Microgeneration

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of energy production came from micro-generation in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: The table below shows the proportion of energy production sourced from micro-generation installations (less than 50 kW electrical capacity and less than 45kW for heat capacity) between 2010-11 and 2012-13. This includes energy production from installations registered on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), the Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FIT), and the Renewables Obligation (RO). FiT data for 2013-14 are due to be published by Ofgem on 18th December. Total Production of Heat and Electricity Generated from Micro Schemes (GWh) 2010-112011-122012-132013-14Renewable Heat Incentive 0168934Feed In Tariff Scheme513741,236n/aRenewable Obligation8133440 Total (GWh)593871,438n/a Full FiTs data are available at the link below: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/feed-tariff-fit-scheme/feed-tariff-reports/annual-reports RO data are available in table 6.3 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/energy-trends-section-6-renewables RHI statistics are published monthly and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/renewable-heat-incentive-renewable-heat-premium-payment-statistics Total energy production data are available in DECC’s Energy Trends publication table 1.1 available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-trends#2014.

Cabinet Office

Low Pay

Mr William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) full-time and (ii) part-time employment in each parliamentary constituency earned less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage in (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 to date.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



Excel Sheet for Member - Living Wage
(Excel SpreadSheet, 169.91 KB)




ONS Letter to Member - Living Wage
(PDF Document, 39.61 KB)

Low Pay

Mr John Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of (a) men and (b) women in (i) full-time and (ii) part-time work in each (A) local authority area and (B) parliamentary constituency earning less than the living wage.

Mr Rob Wilson: Holding answer received on 26 November 2014



The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



Excel Sheet for Member - Living Wage
(Excel SpreadSheet, 146.8 KB)




ONS Letter to Member - Living Wage
(PDF Document, 39.56 KB)

Government Departments: Procurement

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value was of Government procurement with small and medium-sized enterprises in each financial year from 2010-11.

Mr Francis Maude: Spend with SMEs was not systematically monitored prior to the 2010 General Election.As part of our long-term plan for a stronger economy, the Government has introduced ambitious reforms to help SMEs tender for and win business. As a result our direct spend with SMEs has increased year on year. Direct spend with SMEs was £3.2bn in 2010-11, £4.4bn in 2011-12 and £4.6bn in 2012-13. These figures to not include indirect spend.Data for 2013-14 will be published in due course.

Low Pay

Mr William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate, based on the annual survey of hours and earnings published on 19 November 2014, the number and proportion of (a) people, (b) men and (c) women in (i) work, (ii) full-time work and (iii) part-time work in each (A) local authority area and (B) parliamentary constituency earning less than the UK living wage in 2014 to date.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



Excel Sheet to Member - Living Wage
(Excel SpreadSheet, 146.8 KB)




ONS Letter to Member - Living Wage
(PDF Document, 39.66 KB)

Older Workers: Kilmarnock

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in employment who are (a) 50 to 59, (b) 60 to 69 and (c) over 70.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



ONS Letter to Member - Employment
(PDF Document, 251.4 KB)

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Music

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the contribution to the UK economy of the UK music industry in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Figures published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as part of the Creative Industries Economic Estimates showed the Gross Value Added (GVA) of music, performing and visual arts in the UK between 2008 and 2012 (see Table 1). Due to the internationally agreed classifications on which Official Statistics depend, it is not possible to disaggregate music from the performing and visual arts further, or to produce estimates over a longer time period. DCMS will work with industry partners and the ONS in the next international revision of the SIC and SOC codes to see if music can be further disaggregated from other industry and occupational codes. Table 1 - Gross Value Added of music, performing and visual arts between 2008 and 2012  GVA (£ m)Creative Industries Group2008 2009 2010 2011 2012Music, performing and visual arts£3,740m  £3,779m  £3,434m  £4,039m  £4,574m  The trade association UK Music estimates in its annual economic study, ‘Measuring Music’, that the UK music industry’s contribution to the British economy in 2013 was: GVA of £3.8bn, with GVA up 9% year-on-year (£3.5bn in 2012).

Sports: Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the Flood Relief for Sport has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by sports facilities.

Mrs Helen Grant: Sport England’s flood relief fund has invested £1,195,800 into local sports facilities that were damaged as a result of the winter storms of 2013/14. All eligible applications were successful and the fund is now closed to new applications (a) £58,905 was allocated to local authorities, and £1,136,895 was allocated to community sports clubs, trusts and charities which operate at a local level.(b) All Flood Relief awards made to date have been invested in sports facilities.

Premiership Rugby

Mr Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to meet the Chief Executive of Premiership Rugby; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Helen Grant: I have regular meetings with professional sports bodies to discuss a range of issues, including the stewardship of their sport. My door is always open to meet the Chief Executive of Premiership Rugby to discuss the continued health of the sport.

Mobile Phones: Rural Areas

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of mobile phone coverage in rural areas.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Mobile phone coverage is vital for rural businesses and households. 99% of premises already receive 2G coverage. However 21% of the UK’s landmass has coverage from only one or two mobile operators. This affects around 1.5 million people living in areas with patchy coverage, who not only receive a worse service than other consumers, but also have a limited choice of providers and packages. People travelling into these areas are also affected.A consultation into tackling partial not-spots closed on 26 November. I am also in discussions with the mobile industry to agree a voluntary solution, which remains my preference.

Horse Racing

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will commission a review of the management and financial structures of British horse racing.

Mrs Helen Grant: My priority at present is to extend, reform or replace the Horserace Betting Levy. Good progress has been made, and that progress needs to continue. We have no plans to commission a review of the management and financial structures of British horseracing.

Sports: Qatar

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on allegations of abuse of migrant workers working on preparations for international sporting events in Qatar.

Mrs Helen Grant: I work closely with my Ministerial colleagues on a range of international sporting issues.

Broadband

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of when there will be universal broadband coverage in the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Ofcom has reported that the whole of the UK already has basic broadband coverage

Department of Health

Breast Cancer

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that off-patent bisphosphonate drugs are made routinely available for the new indication of preventing breast cancer spreading to the bone.

George Freeman: Research led by the University of Sheffield on the effects of bisphosphonate treatment on recurrence and cause-specific mortality in women with early breast cancer was presented in 2013. We understand that NHS England’s Breast Cancer Clinical Reference Group plans to incorporate this research into guidance it will be publishing in 2015.

Social Workers: Training

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the number of professional social work placements, excluding the Step-Up and Frontline programmes, required in 2014-15; and how many places it expects to be provided by (a) local authorities, (b) third sector organisations and (iii) other organisations.

Norman Lamb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 October 2014 to Question 209550.

King's College Hospital

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the forecast of a £29 million deficit for Kings College Hospital; and what steps he is taking to protect health services in Bromley.

Dr Daniel Poulter: We are advised that Monitor has held several meetings with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and has requested information from the trust to help identify the reasons for the current year-end deficit forecast. The Trust has commissioned external support to assist in the development of a robust recovery plan which will ensure the trust’s mid-term financial sustainability.   We also understand that Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is working closely with the Trust to ensure that the Trust’s financial issues do not adversely affect the quality of care for patients.   The CCG is investing nearly £20 million in additional out-of-hospital services in Bromley through the Better Care Fund. Increased investment of £2.5 million has also been made available for out-of-hours care in Bromley during the winter period.

Drugs: Licensing

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what dates since 2 July 2014 he has discussed with charities the use of off-patent drugs for new indications; and what the content of these discussions was.

George Freeman: Off-patent drugs are those whose patent period has expired and they are widely used in the National Health Service now. Drugs can also be prescribed ‘off-label’ outside of their licensed indication(s) to individual patients where doctors consider it is clinically appropriate to do so. Prescribing decisions are rightly a matter for clinicians in discussion with their patients.   My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no discussions with charities about the use of off-patent drugs for new indications since 2 July. Officials have had several discussions with the Breast Cancer Campaign covering their views on medicines licences, implementation of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and planning the roundtable discussion on adoption of new evidence into clinical practice. There have also been ongoing discussions with Cancer Research UK on the use of aspirin to help prevent certain cancers.

EU External Trade: USA

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice or research his Department has commissioned from external bodies on the potential effects on the NHS of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

George Freeman: While the Department has not commissioned research, we continue to work with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, key partners and other stakeholders to ensure our publicly stated position is respected.   We are aware of concerns about the European Union–United States Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) currently being negotiated which are misplaced and inaccurate.   What we can be absolutely clear on is that this Government will not allow TTIP negotiations to harm the National Health Service, and any assertion that the agreement will undermine the NHS is both irresponsible and false. Our position is supported by statements from both the European and US negotiators.

NHS England

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the gender pay gap for employees of NHS England in (a) Stoke Newington and Hackney North constituency, (b) Hackney local authority area, (c) London and (d) England; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter: We do not have an accurate estimate of the gender pay gap for employees of NHS England.   NHS England does not have offices in Stoke Newington, Hackney North constituency, or Hackney local authority area.

E. Coli

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will issue guidance to hospitals so that a case of E.coli bacteria triggers the procedures that would be followed if a case of MRSA were discovered.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The management of individual cases of E.coli bloodstream infections is the responsibility of local infection prevention and control specialists. However, the Department has asked its expert Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections to consider the options for reducing the number of E.coli infections, which are not always hospital acquired.

NHS: Procurement

George Hollingbery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many contracts of what value were signed by NHS commissioners with non-NHS providers in 2009-10.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not collect information on which providers have been awarded contracts at local level.   It is for local commissioners to decide how best to secure local services and take a decision on which are the most capable providers to deliver those services in the best interests of their patients. There is no requirement for commissioners to put all services out to competitive tender.   Whether NHS services are provided by the public, voluntary or private sector, they remain publicly funded and free at the point of delivery with access based on clinical need.

NHS: Pay

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of NHS staff are eligible for incremental pay awards; and how many of those will receive at least (a) one per cent and (b) three per cent pay increases this year.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Government is committed to reforming progression pay in the National Health Service to ensure that the system is fair, consistent and sustainable.   Over 50% (around 620,000 headcount) of hospital and community health services staff are eligible for incremental pay increases; subject to meeting local performance standards.   All of these eligible staff will receive at least a 1% increase.   Two thirds of those staff are eligible for at least 3%, which is the average incremental increase. This is around 410,000 staff (headcount).

Driving: Diabetes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency about the prescription of oral medications for type 2 diabetes that carry an increased risk of hypoglycaemia.

George Freeman: Oral medications are widely used to control high blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, leading to reductions in long-term complications of diabetes such as heart and kidney disease. The risk of hypoglycaemia associated with these drugs is well-known and is evaluated in detail both at the time of marketing authorisation approval and in the post-marketing period.   The Patient Information Leaflet provided with all oral diabetes treatments contains advice on the risk of hypoglycaemia while driving. Patients are instructed to take appropriate precautions or to avoid driving completely if affected by hypoglycaemia.   In addition, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s ‘At a glance guide to the current medical standards of fitness to drive’ (May 2014) provides detailed advice to healthcare professionals on the management of patients receiving oral diabetes therapies who wish to drive.   The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency keeps the safety of medicines under continual review and is in regular discussion on relevant issues with the DVLA and the Department for Transport, most recently regarding the development of public communications for the new offence of driving with certain drugs taken above specified limits, which is due to come into force in March 2015. The new offence mainly involves illegal drugs and those with sedative effects and does not include treatments for diabetes.

Primary Health Care

Mr David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Care Quality Commission's risk register relating to primary care, when primary care practices were informed of their ratings; when national and local media were informed of the ratings relating to specific practices nationally or in their locality; and what rights primary care practices have to appeal against the theoretical assessments undertaken nationally without those specific practices having been inspected or given the opportunity to review the data on which the risk assessment was made.

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information.   The CQC published its first round of Intelligent Monitoring for general practices on 17 November 2014. Intelligent Monitoring analyses a range of indicators (including surveys and official statistics) to create priority bands for inspection. The bandings are then used to help inform where the CQC prioritise its inspections. The CQC will also use the indicators to raise questions about the quality of care; they will not be used on their own to make final judgements about the quality of care.   The CQC informed all providers of the launch of general practitioner Intelligent Monitoring with an email that was sent out on 14 November 2014 (with no data included). All band 1 GP practices received a separate email on 14 November 2014 informing them that they were in the highest priority band for inspection.   The CQC engaged with approximately 400 GP practices prior to the launch of GP Intelligent Monitoring, including sharing the data and hosting a series of meetings. A national media release was sent out on the morning of 17 November.   The CQC will listen and respond to concerns raised by GP practices. The CQC’s formal appeals processes are for the regulatory judgements the CQC makes and Intelligent Monitoring, is not a regulatory judgement. This comparative information is already in the public domain and known to the practice. The CQC publish this information to be open and transparent about what it knows about providers.   The CQC plans to update this information every three months so that it can continue to respond to issues as they emerge and to share these with providers and the public. The CQC will be undertaking additional testing and engagement to continually improve indicators to inform this work, and will align its definitions of indicators as far as possible with those used by partner bodies such as NHS England and Public Health England.   Within the next two years, the CQC will have inspected and rated every general practice in England as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate to help people make informed choices about their care and encourage improvement in quality.

Patients: Safety

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the use of patient experience surveys in the NHS to inform patient safety initiatives; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: Patient experience surveys are a valuable source of evidence and the results are used in a range of ways, including the assessment of National Health Service performance as well as in regulatory activities such as registration, monitoring ongoing compliance and reviews. The Care Quality Commission has developed a new Intelligent Monitoring tool to give inspectors a clear picture of the areas of care that need to be followed up within an NHS acute trust or a specialist NHS trust. The system is built on a set of indicators that look at a range of information including patient experience, staff experience and performance.   In addition to the patient experience surveys hospital boards and other providers and commissioners of services can also consider the results of the Friends and Family Test (FFT) to consider the implications for quality and safety. While not a traditional survey, the FFT provides near real-time feedback to identify both good and poor quality patient experience. A NHS England review of the FFT found that it is performing well as a service improvement tool, with 85% of trusts reporting that it is being used to improve patient experience, and 78% saying that FFT has increased the emphasis placed on patient experience in their trusts.

Patients: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the relationship between cost savings to the NHS and improved patient safety; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department commissioned Frontier Economics to investigate the costs of unsafe care in the National Health Service. The final report, Exploring the cost of unsafe care in the NHS suggests that the costs of preventable, adverse events is likely to be more than £1 billion per year, but could be up to £2.5 billion annually. The report, which was published on 16 October, is available at:   http://www.frontier-economics.com/publications/exploring-the-costs-of-unsafe-care-in-the-nhs/   The Sign up to Safety campaign launched in June is now working with healthcare organisations to make the NHS one of the safest healthcare systems in the world and contribute to the goal to halve avoidable harm and save 6,000 lives over the next three years.   It is difficult to disaggregate direct cash releasing savings from this evidence which must take into account the upfront costs of investing in safer care.

Health Services

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which patient groups and patient representative organisations his Department consulted before publication of Personalised Health and Care 2020: a framework for action.

George Freeman: Input from patient and representative organisations was sought through the NHS England Citizen Engagement and INVOLVE networks. No formal consultation exercise was conducted.   Members from these groups participated in a facilitated workshop, offering insight and the opportunity for patient and public input to a series of developing outcomes which now form the key proposals within the Framework.   The Framework was socialised with The Richmond Group of Charities as part of a subject/sector specific ‘critical review panel’, the feedback from which helped shape onward drafting.

Pneumococcal Disease: Vaccination

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2014 to Question 213785, what the terms of reference are for the Pneumococcal sub-committee's review; if he will place in the Library a copy of the terms of reference of that review; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The terms of reference for the pneumococcal subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will be agreed at its first meeting, to be held in spring 2015.   Once agreed, the terms of reference will be published in the minutes of the sub-committee meeting and available for public access on the gov.uk website.

Pancreatic Cancer

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase investment in pancreatic cancer research in the UK.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will commission early diagnosis research projects specific to pancreatic cancer.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will review the Government's funding for pancreatic cancer research following the recommendations of the report, Pancreatic Cancer Research: A roadmap to change, published by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Pancreatic Cancer.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the recommendations in the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Pancreatic Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer Research: A roadmap to change.

George Freeman: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison) has met recently with my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Eric Ollerenshaw) to discuss pancreatic cancer research and the report by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pancreatic Cancer and will write to the APPG shortly with comments on the report’s recommendations.   The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including pancreatic cancer. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.   The available funding for all topic areas including pancreatic cancer is subject to future allocation of the Department’s research and development budget. A budget figure for 2015-16 will be set later this year.   The NIHR is funding a £2 million five-year programme of research to understand the reasons why cancer diagnosis may be delayed, and to consider new designs for testing for cancer. The programme is a partnership between the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Bangor, Durham, Oxford, Exeter, the NIHR and Bristol NHS Clinical Commissioning Group. The programme objectives are to design and test new service pathways to cancer diagnosis which are based on sound medical evidence, make efficient use of resources and take full account of patients' views. The programme includes a study of factors influencing patient appraisal of symptoms and associations with cancer diagnosis. Participants in this study have been referred by their general practitioner to hospital for further investigation of symptoms suggestive of pancreatic, lung, or colorectal cancer.

Diabetes

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve awareness of hypoglycaemia among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Jane Ellison: Whilst there are no specific activities to improve awareness of hypoglycaemia among patients with type 2 diabetes, NHS England would expect services to be delivered taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Patient education forms part of the NICE pathway for management of type 2 diabetes.   Furthermore, the outcomes of NICE Quality statement 14: Hypoglycaemia are a reduction in the number of people with diabetes requiring medical attention as a result of a hypoglycaemic episode and a reduction in the rate of recurrence of an episode of hypoglycaemia requiring medical attention over 12 months.   http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs6/chapter/quality-statement-14-hypoglycaemia

Medicine: Education

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of physician associate students who go into employment within the NHS after completing their degree.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many physician associate NHS posts are unfilled.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold this information.

Medicine: Education

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason bursary and student loan arrangements are different for science graduates who pursue a further degree in medicine and science graduates who pursue a further degree in physician associate studies.

Dr Daniel Poulter: To be eligible for funding from the NHS Bursary Scheme, healthcare courses must meet a number of conditions. One of these conditions is that it is a programme which leads to a primary registration with a recognised professional regulatory body.   In addition professional programmes should be fully funded and commissioned by Health Education England education as the national standard model. An exception to this is medical and dental degree courses where the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) have a shared funding responsibility.   The physician associate programme does not meet these conditions.   Given the need to control public finances, student loans provided under BIS regulations are not usually available to graduates for a second degree. Exceptionally, graduates entering certain registered professions with no masters route to qualification can access limited support. This includes medicine.

Motor Neurone Disease

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve communication support for people with motor neurone disease.

Norman Lamb: Since 1 April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for commissioning Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) aids for patients with complex disability whose needs require specialised assessment, including for patients with motor neurone disease. Commissioning of non-specialised AAC aids is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups.   NHS England has published a service specification for specialised AAC aids that sets out what should be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services and supports equity of access to a nationally consistent, high quality service for patients. The specification can be found at:   www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d01-com-dis-equ-alt-aug-comm-aids.pdf   NHS England has identified an additional £22.5 million funding for AAC and Environmental Controls in 2014-15. They have been working closely with the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) to ensure this funding is equitably distributed across England in a fair and consistent manner. The MNDA are representing all patients on the panel which is reviewing this funding allocation.

Dialysis Machines

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what quality and outcome measures NHS England plans to use to ensure maintenance of clinical quality and quality of service in the proposed transition from specialised to clinical commissioning groups commissioning for dialysis.

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment NHS England has made of the level of need for specialist renal services to deal with the complications and emergencies associated with dialysis; and how such services will be commissioned from April 2015.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that they are in dialogue with key stakeholders about both the opportunities and challenges of transferring responsibility for renal services. The head of the Specialised Services Task Force in NHS England recently met stakeholders from renal service representative groups and heard their concerns directly.   The Department intends to launch a public consultation by the end of 2014 on the recommendations put forward by the independent clinically-led advisory group (Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group) to transfer commissioning responsibility for renal services from NHS England to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).   This public consultation will specifically be asking key stakeholders involved in the provision of renal dialysis what NHS England would need to do to ensure a safe transfer of commissioning responsibilities to CCGs. This consultation will also be asking stakeholders specifically whether the current proposed timescales for the transfer of services are feasible.   A new Task & Finish group is being established by NHS England through the NHS Commissioning Assembly. This group will look specifically at what support CCGs would require to be able to safely and effectively commission services devolved to them.   NHS England is committed to issuing commissioning guidance for the safe transfer of services from national NHS England responsibility to local CCG responsibility.

Cancer: Drugs

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department has provided to enable access to chemoprevention drugs in the last 12 months.

George Freeman: It is for commissioners to make decisions on the availability of chemoprevention drugs for their local populations, on the basis of the available evidence, including guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).   National Health Service funding has risen in each year of this Parliament and is £12.7 billion higher in cash terms in 2014-15 than in 2010-11. Health funding will again grow in real terms in 2015-16, which means an additional £2.1 billion.   NHS England has responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocations and, as a result of the Government protecting the overall health budget for NHS England, NHS England has in turn ensured that all CCGs are receiving a funding increase at least matching inflation, as predicted at the time of the announcement, in 2014-15 and 2015-16.   The funding that CCGs receive is not ring-fenced and it is for CCGs at a local level to decide how to allocate their funding.   NICE issued an updated clinical guideline on familial breast cancer in June 2013 which includes recommendations on the use of tamoxifen and raloxifene outside their licensed indications for the prevention of cancer in specific groups of women at high and moderate risk of breast cancer. NICE’s clinical guidelines represent best practice and we expect commissioners to take their recommendations into account when designing services and making commissioning decisions for their local population.

Health Services: Greater London

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission an independent inquiry into the performance of acute hospital services in North West London in response to the closure of Hammersmith and Central Middlesex accident and emergency departments.

Mr Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will suspend the implementation of his Department's Shaping a Healthier Future programme until NHS England's investigation into the performance of North West London accident and emergency departments is complete.

Jane Ellison: It is for local commissioners to implement any changes as part of Shaping a Healthier Future following proper public engagement and in line with the emerging principles of the Keogh review of Accident and Emergency (A&E) Services.   Medical Directors at all of the hospitals affected by the Shaping a Healthier Future programme have said that there is a ‘very high level of clinical support for this programme across NW London’, and that these changes will ‘save many lives each year and significantly improve patients’ care and experience of the NHS.’   We are advised that NHS England is commissioning an independent review of the adequacy of capacity planning and execution of delivery plans for the A&E service changes that have taken place in North West London. The review will report early in the New Year and the findings will be shared with the Secretary of State for Health.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2014 to Question 215281, how many financial sanctions have been imposed for failure to achieve 95 per cent compliance with Care Programme follow-up within seven days of discharge.

Norman Lamb: Information about the number and value of financial sanctions imposed by clinical commissioning groups is not collected or held centrally. It is for individual commissioners to work with service providers to ensure that the terms of the NHS Standard Contract are adhered to.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of unfilled posts in the mental health workforce in the NHS.

Dr Daniel Poulter: The information is not collected by the Department.

Women and Equalities

Business: Females

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department has taken to promote the use of role models for women in business.

Nicky Morgan: We are actively promoting female role models on our new ‘Women in Enterprise’ web page (http://www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/women-in-enterprise/ ) and as part of our Great Business campaign. We have invested £1.9m in the Get Mentoring project, which recruited and trained over 6000 mentors to specifically support female entrepreneurs. We announced earlier this month that we would build on this programme by holding a series of ‘Meet a Mentor’ events for women in venues across the UK.

Human Rights: Females

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions she has had with her international counterparts on protecting the rights of women and girls overseas.

Nicky Morgan: I have recently returned from the US where I had a meeting with the Executive Director of UN Women and others active in the field to discuss the Commission on the Status of Women that will be held in March next year. This is the principal global event on womens’ rights organised by the UN. In the summer we hosted two global events – a summit with a focus on preventing sexual violence in conflict, which generated strong international support; and a girl summit, which brought together a range of international stakeholders to accelerate momentum in tackling child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.